Çré Varuthini Ekadäsé Issue no:110 30th April 2019

Dreams
The Mahä-vidyä
Summary of previous verses Two Varities Of Visionary Dreaming
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Attaining Perfection In Life
Srila Sukdeva Goswami The Mercy Of The Lord In Dreams
Srila Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami
Two Kinds Of Dreams
His Divine Grace Who Are The Real Vrajavasis ?
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
Circulaton 28, 690
 Issue no 110, Page — 2
The Mahä-vidyä
Summary of previous verses
After hearing instructions from their
momentarily revived child, Citraketu
and his wife could understand that all
relationships in this material world are
causes of misery. The queens who had
administered poison to the son of Krtadyuti
felt repentant for their heinous actions and
thus they atoned for the sinful act of killing
a child and gave up all aspiration to have
sons. Thereafter, Narada Muni chanted
prayers to Narayana, who exists as catur-
vyüha, and instructed Citraketu in the truth
about the Supreme Lord, who creates,
maintains and annihilates everything in
the universe and how He is the master
of the material nature. After instructing
King Citraketu in this way, he returned
to Brahmaloka. These instructions about
the Absolute Truth are called the mahä-
vidyä. After being initiated by Narada
Muni, King Citraketu chanted the mahä-
vidyä mantras, and one week later he
attained the presence of Lord Sankarsana,
who was surrounded by the four Kumaras.
The Lord was pleasingly dressed in bluish
garments, with a helmet and ornaments of
gold. His face appeared very happy. In the
presence of Lord Sankarsana, Citraketu
offered his obeisance and began to offer
prayers.
Through his prayers, Citraketu said that
millions of universes rest in the skin pores
of Sankarsana, who is limitless, having
no beginning and end. The Lord is well
known to the devotees for His eternity.
The difference between worshiping
the Lord and worshiping the demigods
is that the worshiper of the Lord also
becomes eternal, whereas whatever
benedictions one gets from the demigods
are impermanent. Unless one becomes
His devotee, one cannot understand the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
When Citraketu finished his prayers, the
unlimited Supreme Lord explained to him
further knowledge of Himself.
— Çrémad-Bhägavatam » Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for
Mankind » Chapter 16: King Chitraketu Meets the Supreme Lord
» Summary of the previous few verses..
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
Attaining Perfection In Life
Srila Sukdeva Goswami
The Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Anantadeva, replied as follows: O King,
as a result of your having accepted the
instructions about Me spoken by the
great sages Narada and Angira, you have
become enlightened in transcendental
knowledge. Because you are now
completely educated in the spiritual
science, you have seen Me face to face.
Therefore you have attained complete
perfection.
All living entities, moving and non-
moving, are My expansions and are
separate from Me. I am the Supersoul of all
living beings, who exist because I manifest
them. I am the form of the transcendental
vibrations like oàkära and Hare Krishna
Hare Rama, and I am the Supreme Absolute
Truth. These two forms of Mine - namely,
the transcendental sound of My name
and the eternally blissful spiritual form of
the Deity, are My eternal forms; they are
not material. Due to his thinking that the
material world is full of enjoyable objects
and he is its enjoyer the conditioned soul
expands in this world of matter. Similarly,
the material world expands in the living
entity as a source of enjoyment. In this
way they both expand, but because
they are My energies, they are still both
permeated by Me. As the Supreme Lord,
I am the cause of these effects, and one
should know that both of them rest in Me.
When a person is in deep sleep, he dreams
and sometimes sees in himself many other
objects, such as great mountains and
rivers or perhaps even the entire universe,
although they are far away. When one
awakens from a dream he sees that he is
in a human form, lying in his bed in one
place. Then he sees himself, in terms of
various conditions, such as belonging to
a particular nationality, family and so on.
All the conditions of deep sleep, dreaming
and wakefulness are but energies of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. One
should always remember the original
creator of these conditions, the Supreme
Lord, who is unaffected by them.
Know Me to be the Supreme Brahman,
the all-pervading Supersoul through
whom the sleeping living entity can
understand his dreaming condition and
 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
his happiness beyond the activities of the
material senses. That is to say, I am the
cause of the activities of the sleeping living
being. If one’s dreams during sleep are
merely subject matters witnessed by the
Supersoul, how can the living entity, who is
different from the Supersoul, remember the
activities of dreams? The experiences of one
per- son cannot be understood by another.
Therefore the knower of the facts, the
living entity who inquires into the incidents
manifested in dreams and wakefulness, is
different from the circumstantial activities.
That knowing factor is Brahman. In other
words, the quality of knowing belongs to
the living entities and to the Supreme Soul.
Thus the living entity can also experience
the activities of dreams and wakefulness.
In both stages the knower remains
unchanged, but is qualitatively one with
the Supreme Brahman.
When a living entity, thinking himself
different from Me, forgeting his spiritual
identity of qualitative oneness with Me in
eternity, knowledge and bliss, his material,
conditional life begins. In other words,
instead of identifying his interest with
Mine, he becomes interested in his bodily
expansions like his wife, children and
material possessions. In this way, by the
influence of his actions, one body comes
from another, and after one death, another
death takes place.
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Issue no 110, Page—3
A human being can attain perfection in
life by self-realization through the Vedic
literature and its practical application. This
is possible especially for a human being
born in India, the land of piety. A man who
obtains birth in such a convenient position
but does not understand his self is unable
to achieve the highest perfection, even if
he is exalted to life in the higher planetary
systems. Remembering the great trouble
found in the field of activities performed
for fruitive results, and remembering how
one receives the reverse of the results one
desires whether from material actions or
from the fruitive activities recommended
in the Vedic literatures an intelligent man
should cease from the desire for fruitive
actions, for by such endeavors one cannot
achieve the ultimate goal of life. On the
other hand, if one acts without desires
for fruitive results, or in other words, if
one engages in devotional activities he
can achieve the highest goal of life with
freedom from miserable conditions.
Considering this, one should cease from
harbouring material desires.
As husband and wife, a man and woman,
plan together to attain happiness and
decrease unhappiness, working jointly in
many ways, but because their activities
are full of desires, they are never a source
of happiness, and they never diminish
distress. On the contrary, they are a cause
of great unhappiness.
One should understand that the activities
of persons who are proud of their
material experience bring about results
contradictory to those such persons
conceive while awake, sleeping and deeply
sleeping. One should further understand
that the spirit soul, although very difficult
for the materialist to perceive, is above all
these conditions, and by the strength of
one’s discrimination, one should give up
the desire for fruitive results in the present
life and in the next. Thus becoming
experienced in transcendental knowledge,
one should become My devotee. Persons
who try to reach the ultimate goal of
life must expertly observe the Supreme
Absolute Person and the living entity, who
are one in quality in their relationship
as part and whole. This is the ultimate
understanding of life. There is no better
truth than this.
O King, if you accept this conclusion
of Mine, being unattached to material
enjoyment, adhering to Me with great
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya
 Issue no 110, Page — 4
Top left 4
faith and thus becoming proficient and
fully aware of knowledge and its practical
application in life, you will achieve the
highest perfection by attaining Me.
Sri Sukadeva Goswami continued:
After thus instructing Citraketu and
assuring him of perfection in this way, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is
the supreme spiritual master, the supreme
soul, Lord Sankarsana, disappeared from
that place as Citraketu looked on with
awe.
— Çrémad-Bhägavatam » Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for
Mankind » Chapter 16: King Chitraketu Meets the Supreme Lord
» Verses 50-65.
Two Kinds Of Dreams
His Divine Grace
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
None of the three conditions of the living
entities—namely, deep sleep, dreaming
and wakefulness—is substantial. They
are simply displays of various phases
of conditional life. There may be many
mountains, rivers, trees, bees, tigers and
snakes that are situated far away, but
in a dream one may imagine them to
be nearby. Similarly, as one has subtle
dreams at night, when the living entity
is awake he lives in gross dreams of
nation, community, society, possessions,
skyscrapers, bank balance, position
and honour. Under the circumstances,
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
one should know that his supposedly
prestigious position is simply due to his
interactions with the material world. One
is situated in different positions in various
forms of life that are all but creations of
the illusory energy, which works under
the direction of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. Therefore the Supreme Lord
is the ultimate actor, and the conditioned
living entity should simply remember this
original actor, Sri Krishna.
As living entities, we are being carried
away by the waves of prakåti, or nature,
which works under the Lord's direction
(mayädhyakñeëa prakåtiù süyate sa-
caräcaram [Bg. 9.10]). Bhaktivinoda
Thakura sings, (miche) mäyära vaçe,
yäccha bhese', khäccha häbuòubu, bhäi:
"Why are you being carried away by the
waves of the illusory energy in various
phases of dreaming and wakefulness?
These are all creations of maya." Our only
duty is to remember the supreme director
of this illusory energy- Krishna. For us to
do this, the çästra advises us, harer näma
harer näma harer nämaiva kevalam [Cc.
Ädi 17.21]: one should constantly chant
the holy name of the Lord-Hare Kåñëa,
Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare /
Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma,
Hare Hare.
The Supreme Lord is realized in three
different phases, as Brahman, Paramatma
and Bhagavän, but Bhagavän is the
 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 110, Page—5
ultimate realization. One who realizes
Bhagavän -the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Krishna -is the most perfect
mahätmä (väsudevaù sarvam iti sa
mahätmä sudurlabhaù ). In the human
form of life, one should understand the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, for
then one will understand everything else.
Yasmin vijïäte sarvam evaà vijïätaà
bhavati (Muëòaka Upaniñad 1.3).
According to this Vedic injunction, simply
by understanding Krishna one understands
Brahman, Paramatma, prakåti, the illusory
energy, the spiritual energy and everything
else. Everything will be revealed. Prakåti,
the material nature, is working under the
direction of the Supreme Lord, and we living
entities are being carried away by various
phases of prakåti. For self-realization, one
should always remember Krishna. As stated
in Padma Puräëa, smartavyaù satataà
viñëuù: we should always remember Lord
Visnu. Vismartavyoh na jätucit: we should
never forget the Lord. This is the perfection
of life.
— Çrémad-Bhägavatam » Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for
Mankind » Chapter 16: King Chitraketu Meets the Supreme Lord »
Verses 54, Purport. of transcendence is of two varieties:
jägaräyamäna-svapna, the meeting
Two Varities Of Visionary Dreaming through vision while one is dreaming
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura whilst asleep: and svapnäyamäna-jägara,
the meeting through vision while one is
daydreaming whilst awake. The fourth
Vijaya, "This point is a little confusing. stage in yogic perfection is samädhi,
In a dream there is practically no actual total absorption; however, the gopis have
reality, therefore how can the spiritual superseded even this state of consciousness
fullment experienced in this secondary by attaining the fifth level known as prema.
state be almost equivalent to the principal Their dreams have nothing in common
mukhya-samåddhimän-sambhoga?" with ordinary dreams that are mundane
Goswami, "On the spiritual plane, the by nature and fictitious being conducted
vision during svapna, the sleeping state, and by the three modes of material nature. The
the meeting during jägrata, the awakened dreams of the gopis, belonging to the realm
state, are virtually identical in nature. An of absolute reality, are supramundane and
appropriate example is the case of Usa and transcendental. Thus, Krishnas dalliances
Aniruddha. Uña was in her quarters inside are so wonderful and unique that even
Banasura's palace in Sonitapura, dreaming through a kaleidoscope of dreams, which
of enjoying the embrace of Aniruddha, may even be punctuated with mahä-
who was at the same time far away in bhäva, He gives actual pleasure to His
Dvaraka, himself also dreaming of enjoying beloved gopi lovers."
with Usa. The exact same thing occurs to — Jaiva-dharma,Translated by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Int.
Krishna and His beloved gopis. This is, of & Sarvabhävana däsa.
course, not possible for conditioned souls
to experience. The direct and tangible
proof of this is that when transcendental, The Mercy Of The Lord In Dreams
liberated devotees receive ornaments and Srila Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami
such in their wondrous dreams, they still
possess them upon awakening. When Pundarika Vidyanidhi arrived at Nilacala,
"Thus, the svapna, visionary dreaming, Mahaprabhu cried with love and Gadadhara
www.ibmedu.org Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya
 Issue no 110, Page — 6
took mantra initiation again from Vidyanidhi.
During the Oòana-ñañöhé festival the servants of
Lord Jagannatha would dress Lord Jagannatha
and Balarama with starched cloth. When
Pundarika criticized this behavior of Jagannathas
servants, Svarupa Damodara explained that the
characteristics of the Supreme Lord are beyond the
jurisdiction of worldly etiquette. But since this did
not satisfy Vidyanidhi, Jagannatha and Balarama
enacted the pastime of slapping Vidyanidhi on his
cheeks in a dream in order to destroy the karma
jaòa-smärtas sinful mentality of criticizing the
behavior of the Supreme Lords servants. The Lord
distributes mercy in dreams only to His select and
dear associates. When Vidyanidhi told his old
friend Svarupa Damodara about the dream, they
both happily joked with each other.
The very night after the critical comments were
made by Pundarika Vidyanidhi Lord Jagannätha,
appeared before him in a dream. Vidyanidhi
Mahäçaya saw Lord Jagannätha and Balaräma
appear before him in his dream. He watched
as Lord Jagannätha caught hold of him and
slapped his face in an angry mood. The two
brothers, Jagannatha and Balarama, slapped him
on his cheeks so hard that his swollen face bore
impressions of Their angers. Feeling distress,
Vidyanidhi fell at Their feet and prayed, "Kåñëa
save me! Please forgive my offenses!
As a result of Vidyanidhis finding fault with the
behavior of Jagannathas servants, Sri Jagannätha
and Sri Balaräma appeared in a dream before
him and profusely slapped his face. Vidyanidhi
then asked Kanai and Balai why They were
unnecessarily punishing him. He asked Them what
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
his offense was. When his offensive comments
were disclosed, he begged pardon from Them.
""O Lord, for what offense are You beating
me?" The Lord replied, "There is no end to your
offenses."I do not belong to any caste, and My
servants also do not belong to any caste. You
should have learned this while staying here.
"Why then are you staying in a place where you
will lose your caste? If you want to protect your
caste, you better go home.
"I have inaugurated the traditional observance
of this festival. How then can you think that there
is any improper behavior in it?
"You accept Me as the Supreme Brahman, but
you offend My servants by finding fault in their
dressing Me with starched cloth." Vidyanidhi felt
great fear. He therefore placed his head at the
lotus feet of the Lord and cried. "Please forgive
the offenses of this most sinful person! I am
defeated! I apologize! "O Lord, with this mouth I
have laughed at Your servants, so You have now
properly punished that mouth.
"This is the auspicious beginning of a new day,
for my face and forehead were touched by Your
lotus hand."
Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi thought about his
bodily pains and understood that the touch of
the Lords lotus hands had awakened his good
fortune. He was extremely happy because the
Lord had personally punished him. This is the real
mercy of the Lord on his servant.
The Lord replied, "I have punished you to
bestow mercy on you, for I consider you My
servant."
In this way the two brothers, Jagannätha and
Balarama, mercifully glanced on Premanidhi in
his dream and then returned to Their temple.
After seeing this dream, Pundarika Vidyanidhi
woke up. Then he saw the slap marks on his
cheeks and began to laugh. His cheeks were
swollen from the slapping of the lotus hands of
the Supreme Lord. Seeing this, Premanidhi said,
"This is very good!
"I have received punishment for my offense, yet
the Lord has mercifully awarded me only a token
punishment."
Just see the glories of Pundarika Vidyanidhi! This
is the limit of the Lords mercy on His devotees.
— Çré Caitanya-bhägavata, Antya-khaëòa 10.14, Çréla
Våndävana däsa Öhäkura, With English Translation of the
Gauòéya-bhäñya Commentary and Chapter Summaries of His
Divine Grace Oà Viñëupäda Paramahaàsa Parivräjakäcärya.
Çré Çrémad Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Gosvämé Mahäräja.
Translated by Bhumipati Däsa.
 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
Who Are The Real Vrajavasis ?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
The eighth instruction of Srila Rupa
Prabhu is the essence of all instructions. It
is as follows:
tan-näma-rüpa-caritädi-sukértanänu-
småtyoù krameëa rasanä-manasé niyojya
tiñöhanvraje tad-anurägi janänugämé
kälaànayed akhilam ity upadeça-säram
The essence of all advice is that one
should utilize all of ones time, in carefully
chanting and remembering the Lords divine
name, transcendental form, qualities,
and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually
engaging ones tongue and mind. In this
way, one should reside in Vraja [Goloka
Våndävana dhäma] and serve Krishna
under the guidance of His pure devotees.
One should follow in the footsteps of the
Lords beloved servants, who are deeply
attached to His devotional service.
We have to always remain subordinate
to all the inhabitants of Vrindavan, the
Vrajaväsés. The banks of Yamuna, the
playground for Krishnas amorous pastimes,
the waters of the Yamuna, the cows,
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Issue no 110, Page—7
sticks, horns, and Dutes are all Vrajaväsés.
They are Vrajaväsés on the platform of
çänta-rasa (neutrality). Raktaka, Citraka,
Patraka, and others are Vrajaväsés on
the platform of däsya-rasa (servitorship).
Externally making a show of residing
in Vraja while thinking internally about
material enjoyment unrelated to Kåñëa
cannot be called vrajaväsa, truely living
in Vraja, Våndävana. Vrajaväsés are those
who cannot engage in anything other than
Kårishnas service even in their dreams
or while unconscious. They have natural
attachment for Krishna. If one is unable to
physically live in Vraja, he should live there
mentally. This means that he must always
keep his mind absorbed in thoughts of
Vraja.
One also has to give up both material
enjoyment and dry renunciation. According
to Çrémad-Bhägavatam, both an attached
householder and a staunch, dry renunciant
cannot worship Hari.
We have to follow the gradual path,
starting with hearing the Krishnas holy
names and kåñëa-kathä. Krishnas holy
name reveals Himself as the Lord's forms,
qualities, pastimes, and associates. After
hearing, we have to act accordingly.
We have a need to constantly chant that
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya
 Issue no 110, Page — 8
which we have heard. Then the state of
remembrance will come.
There are five kinds of remembrance.
The final stage of remembrance is called
samädhi, uninterrupted remembrance.
After the stage of remembrance one
attains the stage of self-realization, after
which one attains the ultimate goal of life
and goes back to Godhead.
One must properly glorify the Lords
name, form, and characteristics. One will
not yield any result if one simply makes
a pretence of glorifying the Lord. Çrémad-
Bhägavatam (2.8.4) states:
çåëvataù çraddhayä nityaà,
gåëataç ca sva-ceñöitam
kälenan äti dérgheëa,
bhagavän viçate hådi
Persons who hear Çrémad-Bhägavatam
regularly and are always taking the matter
very seriously will have the Personality
of Godhead Çré Kåñëa manifested in their
hearts within a short time.
Trying to artificially remember the Lord
without chanting is not real remembrance.
The pretension of remembrance without
chanting will cause one to simply meditate
on sense objects. The çästras have
described two paths, the path of çreyas
and the path of preyas. That which we
like is the path of preyas, and that which
we don't like is the path of çreyas. When
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
çreyas and preyas merge, our hearts will
rush toward Sri Radha-Krishnas service.
In that stage çreyas appears as preyas and
preyas as çreyas. This is the experience of
exalted devotees.
(The above is an excerpt from the lecture given by Çréla
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvaté Gosvämé Prabhupäda on the bank
of Çré Rädhä Kunda during his Vraja-maëòala Parikrama on
Sunday afternoon, October 16, 1932).
—Amåta Väëé: Nectar of Instructions of Immoratality His
Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura Prabhupäda
Compiled by Çrépäda Bhakti Mayukha Bhägavat Mahäraja
Adapted and Published by Éçvara däsa. Translated from Bengali
by Bhumipati däsa
!! Sri Sri Nitai Gaurchandra Jayati !!
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